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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23745028">Healing</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/doctorgerth/pseuds/doctorgerth'>doctorgerth</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>One Piece</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Brief mentions of blood/gore, Comfort/Angst, Eventual Fluff, F/M, Originally Posted on Tumblr, Pining</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 15:22:36</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,930</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23745028</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/doctorgerth/pseuds/doctorgerth</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The angsty journey of Law falling for Kiki (OC) while he treats her battle wounds.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Trafalgar D. Water Law/Original Female Character(s)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>21</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Healing</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/thenotsofantasticlifestory/gifts">thenotsofantasticlifestory</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Tumblr contest prize for my dear friend Sto (@thenotsofantasticlifestory) and her precious OC ship Lawki!</p><p>You can always find me on tumblr under the same name! x</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Get behind me!” Kiki called out to her comrades, using the last bit of her power to summon thick vines to attack at the enemy before them. Law heard her command as he watched helplessly from afar, defeating the few enemies left on his side of the battlefield before frantically shambling himself towards her.<br/>
“Kiki, no!” Both Law and the crew cried out, but their pleas fell on deaf ears. With obvious strain, Kiki gathered up the remainder of her power, a haze beginning to distort her sight as she aimlessly attempted to protect her wounded friends. She didn’t think twice in sacrificing herself for them. But there was no use as the energy drained from her, giving the enemy an opening to attack. The enemy blasted, a blinding and deafening explosion enveloped her and the crew screamed helplessly as the wind threw them backwards violently. </p><p>As soon as Law awoke from his brief black out, he scrambled amongst the rubble in search of her. Blood and sweat trickled down his body, dampening his clothes as he ached with each movement. He pushed forward, crawling and dragging himself across the jagged rocks, screaming out her name in desperate manners. The silence that answered was frightening. </p><p>Suddenly, a strange, thick substance against his palms startled him. As he looked down, the blood that dripped from his hands made his skin run ice cold. His eyes trailed the stream towards Kiki’s unconscious, battered body. Ignoring the increasing pain, Law scurried towards her, frantically removing the bloodied debris that threatened to bury her whole. With weak fingers, he checked her pulse, a mixture of terror and relief when the faintest thumping bounced under his scarred fingertips. </p><p>A dark thought flashed in his mind as he stared down at her, slowly losing hope. Only mere seconds long, but it pounded in his skull along with the erratic beating of his heart and left a haunting chill in the aftermath. The distant call of his name couldn’t tear him away from the way his trembling hands gripped at Kikoku snug against his hip.  </p><p>Would he do it?</p><p>* * *</p><p>Law was able to heal in no time. He needed to after all in order to focus on healing the rest of his crew and most importantly Kiki. There were a few minor aches and pains that would flare as he hurried between rooms, checking vitals and stitching up wounds, but Law always pushed through. At the end of the day, when he would enter her room, everything else seemed to subside. </p><p>“Good evening, doctor.” She beamed, eliciting an odd tug at his heart that he didn’t quite like. Nevertheless, he returned her warm greeting with a small smirk, reaching towards the clipboard and eyeing at her bandages. </p><p>“How are we feeling today, Miss Kiki?” </p><p>“Just peachy! Check it out, I can stretch my left arm now!” Kiki slowly extended her arm out and Law winced as he witnessed her struggle to do so. </p><p>“That’s not nece-”</p><p>“See? Look at it, it- ow, ow, ouch.” Kiki hissed and retreated her arm back into its resting position quickly, a clear display of disappointment in her expression. “Nevermind…”</p><p>Law sighed as he walked over to her bed, gently grazing against her bandaged arm as he settled it into its correct position against her stomach. His thin fingers felt oddly warm even through the layers of gauze, “You don’t have to prove anything to me, Kiki-ya.”</p><p>Law didn’t realize the way he stared at her longingly, but Kiki had noticed and a warmth spread across her face in response. She’d known Trafalgar Law well over a year now after agreeing to allow him to study her logia powers in exchange for helping her find her crew. She’d liked to think she knew him pretty well, but his suddenly soft gestures were unfamiliar and she wasn’t sure how to take them. The way the innocent contact made her tingle in excitement every single time was a little troubling. Kiki looked down at his own bandaged knuckles, clearing her throat, she asked, “Well how about you, Law? How are you feeling?”</p><p>As if coming out of a trance, he shook his head, taking a moment to process what she had asked. He removed his hand from her arm more quickly than he intended, and he mentally cursed himself, praying she didn’t get the wrong idea. Law took a few notes on the clipboard while studying her IV levels and taking out her checkup tools, “Don’t worry about me.” </p><p>Kiki pursed her lips, studying him as he took notes. With each visit, Kiki noticed that Law grew increasingly strange. Some days he’d be awkward and distant, other days he’d be gentle and reassuring. I’m not dying, am I? Kiki thought to herself in mild panic. </p><p>He stuck his hand out in a silent request for her arm. His long, nimble fingers curved around her bandaged wrist gently, almost stroking it as he wrapped the cuff around her. That familiar warmth ignited in her cheeks as she assumed this was a gentle Law day. Not that she minded that side of him. It was always welcomed, just a little alarming as she couldn’t figure out why he had changed so drastically from the cold, aloof Law she initially met. </p><p>As he pumped, the two tried to focus their gazes on anything but each other. The ticking of the clock overhead pounded like drums, impending anxiety making the room seem devoid of oxygen. She wanted to say something, anything, but the hold he had on her was somehow draining all coherent thoughts. After a few more agonizing moments of silence, his low voice whispered out, “Kiki-ya, I-”</p><p>Her ears perked up, eyes darting over to look at him curiously. Law’s eyes were downcast as he watched the needle tick. He was hardly even reading her pressure anymore, frozen in place as images of her bloody, wounded body suddenly flooded his mind. The panic of trying to find her when the smoke cleared, the fear for her life as he spent extensive hours operating on her. All the open wounds and blood that stained his hands. The painful shrieks as he cut her open and stitched her up. The sleepless nights and endless studying of how to improve her healing, how to take all the pain away. The brief moments of fearing a life without her. All haunting thoughts came crashing onto him as he stared at the bandages, remembering how ghastly the wounds looked underneath. It was agonizing, as with each of her cries and screams during treatments, Law wanted to reciprocate ten times over. Seeing her in so much pain was something he never wanted to witness again and thankfully the worst of her treatments were over. But how many more times was she going to get hurt because of him?</p><p>“Law.” A soft voice called out in the darkness. The voice sounded like sunlight personified, making the rolling storm in his head dissipate with her entrance. He wanted to hear it forever, bask in the warmth of that comforting lull of his name. It’s what always brought him out of the unforgiving depths of his mind. </p><p>He blinked twice as he came to, his teary vision refocusing on her and the pained look she offered him. A warmth against his cheek startled him, and he flushed immediately after realizing he was caressing her palm against his cheek in a comforting manner. Clearing his throat, he uncuffed her arm and placed it awkwardly beside her, trying his hardest to ignore the crave for her warmth at the loss of contact.</p><p>“Your readings are good. I’ll be back to check on you later.” Law couldn’t possibly look her in the eye anymore, especially after that embarrassing exchange. Who knows what she thought of him now. He scribbled the information down quickly before speed walking towards the door, eager to get some fresh air before he suffocated. As he reached for the knob, she called out to him again, halting him in place.</p><p>“You know you can tell me anything. Right, Law?”</p><p>He gripped at the knob as a cold shudder coursed through him. Her kind words were meant to be a reassurance, solace, but he knew them to be lies. He couldn’t possibly tell her anything, especially not how he truly felt about her, no matter how bad he wanted to. A sudden barrage of knocks startled the both of them. Law opened the door to an eager Shachi, Penguin, and Bepo.</p><p>“How is she today? Can we see her?” As their eyes averted to Kiki sitting up in bed, they instantly rushed in with child-like excitement, “Kiki, we brought cards again!” </p><p>Law didn’t have to turn around to see the bright smile on her face. He could hear it in her voice, “Good! I look forward to kicking your asses again in poker.” </p><p>The trio hurried over to her, protesting against her confidence and getting settled for another night of cards. As she smiled, they couldn’t see the worried eyes she burned into Law’s back as he exited the infirmary with quiet shuffles. </p><p>As Law stepped into the hallway, he took a big gulp of air, embracing the way it filled his tensed lungs and brought life to his stiff body. Normally, he would’ve been annoyed by their antics. He was admittedly a little jealous each time the crew exchanged some personal time with Kiki. Whether that was the dweeb brigade card games, Bepo napping with her, or even Ikkaku having some afternoon tea with her, Law envied all of them. Each visit from him was scheduled and dry, bringing nothing but checkups and awkward exchanges. He wanted to be fun, he wanted to bring her joy during her recovery, but all he would ever be was her doctor; her means of transportation until she found her crew. He hated to admit that it hurt him, because over time, he came to realize he wanted to be so much more. </p><p>Law leisurely strolled down the hallway, hands in his pockets, and eyes focused on the floor. The clicking of his boots echoed within the sub walls and he was left alone in the chilly darkness once again. He tried to focus on anything except her, but lately Kiki has been the only thing to occupy his mind. He made a few rounds of checking on other members of the crew as temporary distractions before returning to his office. As he opened the door, he jumped a little at the figure that loomed over his desk before recognizing the all too familiar silhouette.</p><p>“Ikkaku, what the hell are you doing here?”</p><p>She remained silent for a moment, studying the notes on his desk before turning to him, arms crossed tightly against her chest, “When are you gonna tell her?”</p><p>“Who?” An annoying, defensive tone cracked in his voice, making him grimace in response. He always hated that about himself.</p><p>“You know damn well who, Captain.” She sighed impatiently.</p><p>“Don’t be annoying.”</p><p>“Don’t be a wuss.”</p><p>Law pinched at the bridge of his nose, feeling pure agitation bubble up in his system. Only Ikkaku could rile him up like this. She always tried to act like a know-it-all big sister and it always pissed Law off, even if she was usually right, “I don’t have time for this, Ikkaku. Get out.” </p><p>“Why? So you can get back to your pathetic pining?” Ikkaku grasped at the notes on his desk, flailing around all of the embarrassing poems, doodles, and scribbles of Kiki’s name. He tried to deny all of it while he reached out desperately to retrieve them, snarling at Ikkaku and her defiant behavior.</p><p>“Get out!” Law was inches from her face, a threatening look in his eyes as he snatched the papers away and pointed towards the door.</p><p>Ikkaku tried to stand her ground, but ultimately sighed and shoved her way past him, “You can’t hide your feelings forever, Captain. I’m just trying to save you from heartache.”</p><p>How was she so confident a confession wouldn’t lead to heartache? Law plopped down exasperatedly onto his chair, shoving the papers into the trash bin under his desk, “Wait, Ikkaku-ya.”</p><p>She immediately stopped at the door, eyeing him over her shoulder as she awaited his next words. </p><p>“How did you know? Am I that obvious?”</p><p>She scoffed with a confident smile, “A lady always knows when a man is in love.” She paused and turned to him, leaning against the door frame, “And yeah, you’re pretty obvious, Captain. Like a sad little lovesick puppy. It’s embarrassing.”</p><p>He groaned helplessly as he planted his hands roughly against his face and tugged at the bottom of his tired eyes, “Do you think she knows?”</p><p>Ikkaku stood in thought for a moment, revisiting all of her past conversations with Kiki in her brain as she searched for any significant conversations. A small smile graced her lips, “It’s never obvious when it’s us that a man is in love with.” With that, Ikkaku waltzed away.</p><p>Her words were meant to offer some wisdom, Law was sure of it, but it only offered him further confusion and hopelessness. He thumped his head against his desk, sighing dramatically as he tried to calm his racing heart. Even the mere thought of confessing to Kiki was enough to nearly send him into cardiac arrest. He just had so many things to fear. He had convinced himself that in his case, the cons heavily outweighed the pros, even if that meant Law being sad and lonely for the rest of his life. </p><p>Kiki was just temporary after all. He only agreed to have her on board and help her find the Straw Hats if she would let him experiment on her. Falling in love with her in the process was what he least expected and wanted. He had noticed after some time the way he grew fidgety around her, how her mere presence had his heart racing and face flushing. She made him blush and daydream about all kinds of embarrassing things, and Law was not a blusher. All of this wasn’t like him, he’d always been calm and collected, but the mention of her name had him sweating buckets and desperate for air. In typical Law fashion, he tried to find a logical reason behind his odd mannerisms. But emotions were much more complicated than he realized. </p><p>He couldn’t come to terms with the four letter word until that day; the day he almost lost her. Night after night, as he relived her moment of attack in each of his nightmares, all he could think about was the solemn realization that passed through his mind as he stared down at her near lifeless body. He could use his immortality power over her. Even if she didn’t want it, even if that meant leaving everything behind, Law came to the realization that he would have easily sacrificed himself for her sake. He would’ve died so she could live. </p><p>It was a truly sobering thought to say the least, considering he’s never thought about going that far for anyone else before. That’s what terrified him the most, the fact that he’s found someone worth throwing everything else away for. He was constantly at war with himself over the idea. He was a captain, he had goals and dreams, other people to care for. He couldn’t just let someone like her in, there was hardly room in his damaged heart for someone like her anyway. He was selfish and cruel and unlovable. She was warm and bright and deserved all the love in the world. He couldn’t possibly provide that for her. So he’d tried over and over to forget about it, but every time he walked in that room, every time she gave him that goddamn smile, he couldn’t help but go weak in the knees. An intense feeling of wanting to give her everything he had just to keep that precious smile on her face…</p><p>Law looked up at the clock. It had already been two hours since that exchange with Ikkaku and she was right, all he did was pathetically pine. With a disgruntled sigh, he arose from his chair and made his way to Kiki’s room once more. </p><p>How would he tell her? Should he just come out with it? Was it inappropriate of him to confess now, when she’s helpless in a hospital bed? What would she think of him? What if this ruined everything? His hand shook as it reached out towards the knob, his beating heart deafening his crowded mind. What a pain this entire ordeal was.</p><p>A shriek and the sound of items falling from inside the room jolted him out of his thoughts and he frantically opened the door. He instantly found Kiki curled up on the floor, grasping at her knees and wincing in pain, “Kiki-ya!” Law rushed over to her, helping her rise to her feet and watching the tears trickle onto the floor. He couldn’t stand the sight, that feeling of wishing he could take all her pain away returned in the pit of his stomach. </p><p>“I’m s-sorry, Doc…” She huffed with a broken chuckle as he laid her gently in the bed. The blood soaking her bandaged arms brought painful memories, and though he tried his hardest to suppress it, a protective anger accidentally burst from him.</p><p>“What the hell were you doing out of bed? I told you at least two more weeks of bed rest, idiot!” He hissed through gritted teeth as he started to cut at the bandages, reaching over for more gauze on the bedside table. </p><p>She couldn’t look him in the eyes, “I was just seeing if I could stand…”</p><p>“Why?! Are you trying to hurt yourself further? Do you want to stay in this bed forever?!” </p><p>Not an invitation, not an invitation. Law was screaming now and he couldn’t do anything to prevent it. How stupid of her to try to stand on legs she hasn’t walked on in weeks! Though he chastised her, it was only masked worry as he couldn’t bear the thought of her getting hurt anymore. </p><p>“I’m trying to heal faster! If I just continue to lay here then I’ll only get weaker!”</p><p>“Don’t you think I’m trying to heal you? I wish for once you’d stop being so damn stubborn and let me help you!” </p><p>“You don’t have to treat me like a child! And quite frankly Law, you’re not my captain.” She barked back, snatching her arm away from him as soon as he finished re-bandaging, ignoring the sharp pain that elicited in response. </p><p>He stood from his position, “Fine by me. I wouldn’t want someone as insolent and careless as you in my crew anyway.” </p><p>Stop, stop, stop. Why was he spouting things he didn’t mean? </p><p>“Big words coming from you. Have you forgotten why I’m in this bed in the first place?”</p><p>He winced as he wished he could in fact forget why she was there, forget how much it hurt him to see her so helpless and in pain. How he’d give anything to make it all stop, “No one asked you to be foolish and risk your life like that!”</p><p>“Foolish? You think me protecting your crew was foolish?”</p><p>“Kiki-ya, you were nearly dead when I found you! Why would you just throw away your life like that?” Coming from the man who almost threw away his own life for hers; the words didn’t taste well in his mouth.</p><p>“I protected them because I love them!” She cried out, voice beginning to break. “Damnit, Law, everyone’s been thanking me and praising me for my actions and all you do is yell at me! Y-you’ve been weird, Law! Ever since that battle happened, you’ve been treating me differently!”</p><p>“You want me to thank you?” How could he possibly do that? Ever since her attempted sacrifice, he’s been in nothing but distress trying to care for her and heal her wounds; worrying night and day about nothing except her. If anything, she should be thanking me! </p><p>“I just don’t understand why you would hate me for trying to save your crew!” </p><p>Law groaned loudly as his hands flew up to his hair, tugging at the roots in frustration as he bellowed out, “Hate you? How do you still not get it? I love you, Kiki! Why the hell would I thank you for nearly killing yourself? God damnit, I almost sacrificed myself for you!” </p><p>A cold chill enveloped Kiki’s body at his words as they echoed in screams throughout the room. Law tried to calm his ragged breathing from his sudden outburst, slowly realizing what he had just confessed. </p><p>“You love me?” The phrase sounded utterly baffling rolling off her tongue, unfathomable.</p><p>“Don’t say it like it’s the most disgusting thing you’ve ever heard.” He scoffed, eyes averting away from her. He could feel his fists clenching and releasing as pure anxiety coursed through him. He didn’t expect a response, but the uncomfortable silence she offered was more disheartening than a verbal rejection.</p><p>“Law.” Kiki called out, emitting rays of light amongst his clouded mind once more. Even as she broke his heart, he still melted at the way she said his name, “Come here.”</p><p>Slowly, he looked towards her in disbelief. An unreadable expression was plastered on her face as she patted the space in the bed beside her. Law hesitantly obeyed and sat on the bed, back facing towards her. She gently raised up and placed her forehead against his back, focusing on his breathing. </p><p>“Do you mean that?” She whispered, an undeniable fear of him taking it all back caused a tightening feeling to pinch her throat. </p><p>“Yeah.” He replied casually, still unable to look at her. His thoughts raced as he anticipated rejection, mentally preparing himself for the impending heart ache. </p><p>She placed a hand on his shoulder, gently pulling him back towards her. He couldn’t help but oblige and turned to face her more comfortably with a solemn look in his eyes. Her hands cupped at his cheeks and he couldn’t help but lean into it, soaking in her warmth for what he believed would be the last time. </p><p>“I’m sorry for making you worry about me.” She whispered as everything finally began to make sense to her. Law’s change of behavior, his incessant worrying and gentle advances, it was all displays of love. She cursed herself for being so inconsiderate towards his feelings. Though she was still a bit too overwhelmed by the sudden confession to reciprocate, she hoped that the comfort she offered would help put his mind at ease, “I promise to be more careful from now on.”</p><p>Holding his face in both hands, she couldn’t deny how cute he looked in that moment; cheeks squished together, an adoring gleam in his eyes as he embraced the intimate contact. She could feel her perspective of him slowly morphing into something beautiful and she didn’t dare try to fight it. Kiki leaned in and placed a gentle kiss against his forehead; a tender affirmation that Law couldn’t help but blush freely at, all for her eyes to see. </p><p>“It’s late, go get some sleep.” She smiled as she playfully pushed him off of the bed, heart fluttering at the smile and low chuckle he offered in response, “You better rest well, because tomorrow I want to hear all about how much you love me.”</p>
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